This invention relates to casino game playing services for gambling units such as slot machines and video poker machines and, more particularly, to methods of redeeming accumulated credits by dispensing multiple types of awards from a single gambling unit.
Gaming machines generally dispense a single type of prize in exchange for game credits accumulated by the user during game play. The prizes are typically a single denomination of currency (e.g., nickels, quarters, half dollars, dollar coins, and single denomination of paper currency), a single denomination of coin tokens, or a single denomination of paper tokens such as token bills, lottery tickets, complementary coupons and the like.
One example of a paper dispenser is the HBP-5 unit manufactured and sold by Japanese Coin Mechanisms (JCM) American Corporation of Las Vegas, Nev., for gaming machines to dispense paper tokens, such as token bills or lottery tickets. The unit contains a single paper token cassette, a paper token transport mechanism, electronics to monitor the paper token movement, and the electronics and communication interface to allow the gaming machine to control the unit. The current design of the cassette allows for the unit to dispense only one denomination or type of paper token, e.g., $10 token bills or lottery tickets. The single paper token cassette limits the versatility of the unit where a casino desires to offer a variety of award types to the users.
In addition, dual compartment dispensers capable of dispensing multiple denominations of paper currency or token bills have been developed and demonstrated at trade shows. In particular, one such dual compartment dispenser has been developed and demonstrated by Glory Money Systems of West Caldwell, N.J.
According to one aspect, the present invention may be embodied in an electronic gambling unit for allowing a user to play a video gambling game, and for dispensing at least one of a plurality of types of value to the user at the conclusion of the video gambling game. Such an electronic gambling unit may include a display unit capable of generating color images or other display mechanisms capable of displaying images associated with the video gambling game. The electronic gambling unit may further include an input device that allows the user to input information, a value-accepting mechanism capable of allowing the user to deposit a medium of currency, and a value-dispensing mechanism containing a first item representing a first type of value and a second item representing a second type of value, and being capable of dispensing the items to the user. Moreover, the electronic gambling unit may include a controller operatively coupled to the display unit, the input device, the value-accepting mechanism, and the value-dispensing mechanism. The controller may include a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor.
The controller may be programmed to allow the user to make a wager via the input device, and to cause a video image representing the video gambling game to be generated on the display unit after the user makes a wager. The controller may be further programmed to determine the outcome of the video gambling game and a payout associated with the outcome. The controller may be further programmed to cause the value-dispensing mechanism to dispense at least one of the first and the second items to the user after the payout is determined based on information input by the user at the input device.
The controller may be programmed to cause the display unit to generate a value selection graphic instructing the user to select at least one of the first and the second types of value via the input device, which may be a plurality of buttons or part of a touch-sensitive video display screen. Alternatively, the input device may be an electronic reader capable of reading an object having user identification information or user preference information stored thereon, with the items or combination of items dispensed to the user being determined based on the user preference information stored on the object or retrieved via a player tracking interface from a player tracking system. Additionally, the first and the second items may be combinations of token bills having particular monetary values and complementary coupons for game tokens, gifts, meals, rides, shows, goods and services.
The controller may be further programmed to increment user information indicative of the frequency and volume with which the user plays the electronic gambling unit, and to determine whether the user information exceeds a threshold value. If the user information exceeds the threshold value, the controller may be further programmed to cause the value-dispensing mechanism to dispense one of the first and second items to the user.
According to another aspect, the present invention may be embodied in a method of dispensing at least one of a plurality of items, each representing a type of value to a user at the conclusion of a video gambling game of an electronic gambling unit. Such a method may include executing the video gambling game, determining an outcome of the video gambling game and a payout associated with the outcome of the video gambling game after the execution of the video gambling game, and dispensing at least one of the items to the user via a value-dispensing mechanism based on information input by the user at an input device. The method may further include generating a value selection graphic at a display unit of the electronic gambling unit, allowing the user to select at least one of a plurality of types of value via the input device, which may be a plurality of buttons or a part of a touch-sensitive video display screen, and dispensing at least one item based on the selections made by the user. Still further, the method may include obtaining user information from an object read by an electronic reader and causing the value-dispensing mechanism to dispense at least one item based on the user information stored on the object or obtained from a player tracking system via a player tracking interface. The items dispensed by the value-dispensing mechanism may be a combination of token bills having particular monetary values and complementary coupons for one of game tokens, gifts, meals, rides, shows, goods and services.
These and other features of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the description of the preferred embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.